A few years back, comedian/ top podcaster Joe Rogan and his friends decided to challenge each other to be completely sober for an entire month. They dubbed it Sober October. Obviously it shouldn’t be that tough for grown men to abstain from drugs and alcohol for one month. And in the years since, their challenges have gotten far more intense and rigorous.

The idea caught on with quite a lot of Rogan’s fans. That includes me.

Of course, in my case its a little different. I don’t drink or do drugs. And despite a joking rivalry with my friend Kevin, I’m really challenging myself.

Since I don’t have a problem with drugs or alcohol, I take Sober October as an opportunity to cleanse myself of certain behaviors. A common one for me is politics. I pay a lot of attention to politics every day. While it is very good to be informed, you do need to disconnect. Similarly, I try to cut off social media. In the past, that has been difficult, since I usually had something going on that I wanted to promote. I always include physical challenges as well, like cutting out sugar.

Its been a couple of years since I’ve done Sober October. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I’ve been dealing with depression for some time. I think this is a good time for me to take up the challenge again.

This year’s Sober October will be as follows.

1. No Social Media.

2. No Politics.

3. Drink only water, with exception to the milk I use for my breakfast shake.

4. Exercise daily.

5. Take one photo each day.

6. Read every day.

7. Watch only educational videos.

I should also try to do something new. Open to suggestions there. It’s a good time for this.

It’s a good time for change.